West Bengal Election Propaganda: BJP maligning madarsas in media

In wake of the recent Burdwan blast and subsequent action by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), several Muslim organization have come down heavily on a section of media for negatively painting the madrasas as a hub of terrorism and blamed the BJP for it claiming the saffron party is doing it keeping an eye on the 2016 assembly elections in the state.

“Madrasas never teach terrorism. But after the Khagragarh (Burdwan) incident, a section of media has been continuously showing that Muslims, Islam and madrasa and terrorism are same things. The reality of Khagragarh incident can be and should be investigated by an international organization,” president of All India Majlis-e-Mushawarat Dr Zafarul Islam Khan had told a press conference here on October 26.

Two persons were killed and a third injured in an ‘accidental’ bomb explosion in Khagragarh in Burdwan district on October 2. The NIA had later taken over the investigation and claimed that the blast was linked to a Bangladeshi terror outfit.

Khan said, “The NIA investigations led to seizure of material such as a stick of umbrella, oil bottle, a normal daily-use knife. But propaganda was made that the investigating office got riffle, sword, RDX and Arabic books. The NIA investigated just two madrasas, but it triggered fingers towards all madrasas. There are more than 30,000 madrasas in our country and no one ever found any illegal elements.”

“It is clear that the BJP has planned all this targeting the next assembly election in West Bengal in 2016. When L K Advani was Home Minister then too he tried to malign madrasas in West Bengal,” Dr Islam claimed and condemned that the present Union government was “directed, not from Delhi, but is being run from Nagpur, the headquarters of a fanatic organization.”

On the same day at a seminar at the Academy of Fine Arts organized by AIMM and Milli Ittehad parishad, Dr Islam, however, said, “There are a lot of non-recognised madrasas running in West Bengal and if either of them is found to be suspected doing illegal works, then police and administration should stop them and take necessary action.”

“Instead of taking action in such cases, the agencies are trying to malign the entire Muslim

community. We demand that innocent people should not be harassed in the name of Khagragarh incident.”

Muhammad Nuruddin, the state president of Jamat-e-Islami Hind said, “Terrorists always destroy the country. If Hindu and Muslims are divided, terrorists will win. Hindu and Muslims should be united to defeat terrorism, only then the national integrity will be strong.”

He also condemned that the media always published the word ‘Jamat’ along with the suspected terrorist organization of Bangladesh ‘Jamat Ul Mujahidin’, which he said, should be opposed by all concerned. “Because, ‘Jamat’ is used by Muslims in various contexts and for different purposes. Moreover, so many national Muslim organizations’ name start with or has ‘Jamat’ in it. Before using the word ‘Jamat’ to associate with Jihadi activities, the media should think thousand times. A section also trying to prove Holy Quran is a Jihadi book, which is unfortunate.”

Commenting on the police recovery of ‘Nurani Kayda’, the elementary book of Arabic literature, and a book ‘Bhalo Mityur Upay’ (Way to good die), Nuruddin said, “These books are not written by any terrorist. These were written by Muslim clerics and it can be seen at lot of Bengali Muslims homes.”

Vice president of All Faith Forum, Bijoy Jogi said, “Modi government’s efforts to malign Muslim community in West Bengal should be stopped.”

Documentary film maker Saumitra Ghosh Dastider said, “I had made a short film on Gujrat riot, which is shame for our country. Fanatic groups are now trying to malign Muslim community by spreading a Gujarat like situation, which is hatred. So, we have to be very much aware of BJP.”

“Muslim in West Bengal are now afraid of riots. They are not afraid to speak out against police activities in a large scale (but) fear of police harassment in the name of Madrasas.”

Secretary of Bandi Mukti Committee (Prisoner Relief Committee) Choton Das said, according to Juvenile Act 2000, no child can sent to jail or police custody. “But the NIA sent to accused women in Khagragarh blast along with their two year old children, which is a violation of human rights. Everyone should condemn this kind of activities.”

Kamruddin Mallick of All India Milli Council said, if police accused a madrasa that does not mean all the madrasas are under surveillance. All India Majlis E Mushawarat state secretary Abdul Aziz and eminent intellectuals O P Shah and Khalid Ebadullah were also present in this seminar.